The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

He swallows.

  I sniff.

  "You smell like pine needles," I say. "And that's not your normal scent. You've been masking yourself."

  "The Savage Wolves didn't smell me coming," Cayden says. He lets the sentence hang.

  "But you've been leaving your real scent everywhere else."

  "True."

  "You're not saying a lot. I know how you get, Cayden. Something's bothering you."

  "Well, what's new?" he asks, forcing a smile.

  "And it's more than just responsibility." That's big, coming from me. I'm only making things harder. "Everly sent me out to look for you. I wasn't trying to find Savage Wolves. But that guy would have been attacked. I had to help him."

  Cayden lifts his head and looks at the kitchen.

  "I heard," Everly says.

  "You did, sis," Cayden says.

  "That's because you never listen," Everly says. "We need you, brother. There are three days before the full moon and you're leaving us in the dark."

  Cayden puts his hand on my back. "You're right. But I have a plan for stopping Olivia at the dance. It might work." Then he faces me. "The guy on the bike would have made it through the border of our territory before the Savage Wolves reached him. And I would have stopped them. Please don't risk yourself again."

  "But there were two, and it didn't look that way. The Savages are trying to attack people just outside the border. They'll kill someone." I keep lying there, not daring to lift my head until Remo walks into the room with a glass of water.

  I'm thirsty. My mind spins and it's hard to keep my thoughts straight. But Cayden helps me to sit up a little as I drink. Darkness waits in the corners of the room as I focus on a grandfather clock, trying not to pass out again. The faintness loosens its grip as I drink, but the weakness and hunger remain.

  "Yes," Cayden says. "I've been watching for them. We all have. I shouldn't be mad at you. You were just trying to protect that man. That's what Noble Wolves do. Sometimes, I forget that." He gulps.

  And the park roars back, complete with Matthew.

  And my urge to tear out his throat.

  He tried to attack me.

  But I still tried to kill a human.

  I can't tell Cayden. But I can ask. "Do all Noble Wolves have an urge to protect humans like that? Was it normal for me to do what I did?"

  "Normal," Cayden reassures me. He wraps his hand under my back, but he's shaking.

  "Just trying to make sense of all the rules and the pack order," I say.

  "It's a lot to get used to," Remo adds. He sits on the couch, a beat-up leather one that smells of beaches, forests, and rolling fields. It betrays how much the Lowes have moved.

  "Did you hear that, Cayden?" Everly asks.

  Cayden sighs. "Yes, sis."

  "What happens if a human tries to attack us?" I ask. "Just curious. That guy could have been a hunter who tried to shoot me."

  "Then we might have to defend ourselves," Cayden says.

  My racing heart calms.

  Until he says, "But it wouldn't be pleasant. My mother came across a hunter once who tried to shoot her. She ran away. And my father had to chase off a drunk guy trying to fire shots at him when he was younger. No, don't worry. You won't go crazy and attack normal people."

  He holds the glass up and I drink the last of the water, struggling not to choke. "So, what's your plan from keeping Olivia from hurting people?" I'm running from the subject and into another.

  "I will keep a close eye on her."

  "That's it?"

  "That's it. I know the pack's upset with me and I understand, but I think this job should be mine alone."

  "Cayden!" Everly marches into the room. "We're a team. And now you won't even let your mate help you. Packs form for a reason. You took alpha when you killed Travon."

  Cayden sets the glass down and rises to face his twin. "I know I did. But I killed him because of what he did to our family."

  "You know how the tradition works," Everly says. "You lead the pack."

  "All tradition has done is get countless Noble Wolves killed," Cayden says. He still holds me up as he faces her.

  Everly kneels and grabs his arms. "I don't want you to get killed."

  Tears fill her eyes. She glances at me. Everly might see me as the invader, but we're allies in this moment.

  Keeping the blanket around me, I rise, grabbing the wall for support. My injuries still burn, but they improve by the minute. "Listen to her, Cayden! Let us in on this because we're all worried about you. I went out there to find you and make sure you hadn't gotten yourself killed!"

  Cayden rises and whirls on me. He shrinks back like a trapped animal for a second and then catches himself, straightening.

  "I can't keep you safe," he mutters.

  "That's not your job," I say. "Your job is to get us all to work together. And you got me back to the house just fine."

  "You always downplay how dangerous this all is."

  "We're all in this together," I insist. "One wolf will not keep the Savage Wolves out. We all know there might be over one new Savage Wolf in the area on Sunday night. The pack needs to be on the same program so we can deal with it and stop people from getting hurt."

  Without him, I might have died out there, even with my fighting ability.

  Everly nods. "Listen to her, Cayden."

  "I want to!" He shouts in her face.

  "Then why can't you?" I ask. He wants to kill Olivia and the thought's paining him. It's the only explanation.

  Cayden moves his lips like he's trying to say something. Then he turns away. "You're right. We need to work together. So here's what I want us to do. Every, Remo and May will patrol the woods around town to check for any new Savage Wolves that turn on Sunday night. Brie and I are working at the dance where we'll be able to see if Olivia has problems. If there's anywhere the Savage Wolves will want new members of their kind to turn, it will be at a high-impact place like that. Maybe they don't care about staying undetected anymore. They're wild and act without thinking."

  Like me.

  Everly nods. "That sounds like a plan. Cayden, no more running off tonight."

  "I thought I was alpha?"

  "You know what I mean. You've marked the border. Both of you will sit down and eat. I'm no alpha, but that's an order."

  Cayden forces a smile at me. "Maybe she's subbing for me tonight? I wish she'd stop contradicting herself."

  Everly rolls her eyes.

  My stomach roars as Everly rushes back into the kitchen to deal with burning sausage.

  Cayden goes into another room, shuffles through clothes, and hands me a temporary shirt and jeans. I realize I have nothing but bare skin under the blanket, but the thought doesn't alarm me. Nakedness no longer carries the shame it did before turning, and besides, it's only right that Cayden's here.

  I get changed in front of Cayden, heart racing as he places his hand on my back, rubbing his fingers over the teeth marks left by the now-dead light gray wolf.

  "You're healing," Cayden says, his palm over swollen scabs. His touch burns, but

  "Will it get infected?" I ask. "With regular bacteria?"

  "No. Werewolves don't get bacterial infections. Most deaths are from violence, not sickness." He lowers his voice as he speaks in my ear.

  Once I have my shirt on, I eye my thigh. It's scabbed, too, with redness around the puncture marks where I took the first bite. But as I scratch, a scab falls off, revealing new, pink skin. I'll heal by the end of the night.

  "See?" Cayden asks. "Please, Brie. Try not to wander outside our territory. If you do, the wolves we drove out are free to attack us. They're breaking no rules."

  "I'll try not to," I say. Cayden has enough to face. "But stick with us. Or we will look for you. I think it's the best way."

  "Deal. Thank you, Brie." He kisses me on the cheek from behind.

  But it's rushed. Different.

  No one speaks as we eat. My wounds close all the way and stop burning as I
take in calories, and the rest of the weakness and dizziness goes by the time I eat a second helping. Cayden remains silent. I know what he's planning, and I don't know whether to feel worse about that or about what I did earlier.

  "I always wondered," I say. "What do I smell like? My scent? I know we're all a little different."

  Do I smell like rotten wood or dirt at all?

  Cayden grins as if relieved about changing the conversation. "Like the woods but with a trace of dry leaves and bark. Kind of like autumn. Or Halloween, just without the candy."

  "That's not too bad," I say. But maybe when I got bit, the half of me that filled with Savage Wolf wasn't the part that gives off a smell. I shouldn't have gone ballistic on Matthew. Chased him off, yes, but not leapt at his window and tried to kill him.

  But at least Cayden doesn't ask what's wrong.

  And the more I think about it, the more I realize Olivia isn't facing a happy fate. But maybe if Matthew stays out of school, Noah will go with her and Cayden and I will watch them both. She'll wear her pendant, the dance will be fun, and no Savage Wolves will crash the party.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Matthew shows up at school the next day.

  I hang by the doors and watch as Matt's father drops him off in his Hummer. I can only imagine the trouble Matt got into by getting home with a busted window of his new BMW and what excuse he came up with to get his father off his back.

  I watch his large, hulking form get out of the Hummer.

  "Responsibility," his father yells as Matt closes the door. The man doesn't sound pleasant.

  As the Hummer leaves the parking lot, Matt scans the area.

  His gaze lands on me and he freezes. I smell the adrenaline. He fears me. And he should.

  But I don't dare approach. Already, the instinct to shift tugs at me, and I breathe out, forcing it to the side. I can control myself. I must. My father was a Noble Wolf and so am I. I'm almost relieved that Cayden hasn't showed up to school yet, or he'd sense my urge to attack.

  But I'm not relieved that he didn't offer to walk me home last night. Aunt May picked me up instead after she got home from work and found me gone. Cayden's still keeping a distance. I don't understand it.

  Matt crosses the lot, heading to the Science Wing doors way on the other side of the school instead of the usual entrance. He won't like this power shift at all, and I get an urge to follow him to make sure he doesn't take it out on Ellie or Sarah.

  But he knows if I find out, I'll kill him. He might behave.

  Matt enters the school and leaves my sight. I share a class with him—the first one—but no others, so I might be okay with a bunch of others around. The fear of blowing my cover to everyone will help me hold back, right?

  Cayden, Everly, and Remo arrive in the SUV shortly after Matt vanishes, and they join me at the front doors. "Class?" Cayden asks.

  "Are you nervous?" I ask.

  "No," Cayden says.

  "Understand if you are," Remo says. "Three days to the dance. I ...I might go with someone, just so you know."

  "You're supposed to patrol the woods," Cayden says.

  "I know," Remo says. "But someone asked me to go, so I can't back out. Besides, the dance will be where most people in Breck are Sunday night. Having one more wolf there will help."

  Cayden squares his shoulders at his adopted brother. "You were telling me not to date."

  Remo swallows. I know who Remo's taking to the dance. Will Leonora be any help?

  "Maybe he's right about us being at the dance," I blurt. "If the Savages want to attack anywhere in town, the dance would do the most damage. They'll probably want to infect young, fit people."

  "If I were the Savage Wolves, I'd think like that," Remo says.

  "Well, the Savages aren't the brightest," Cayden says. "They might want new Savages around town to get revenge on us, but that amount of planning would take a lot of mental effort I'm not sure they have."

  Remo clears his throat. "The young are easier to corrupt than the old. Older people who get turned into Savages take longer for their human sides to twist since they've had a lifetime of human experiences and compassion. Well, sometimes."

  "You have a point," I say. I know what it's like to deal with disapproval, so I feel like I need to get in Remo's corner. The poor guy's been alone for who knows how long, his human life taken away. He deserves to go to the dance with Leonora, who might also be a help.

  "And didn't we agree to stick together?" Remo asks.

  Cayden swallows and pushes out the words. "We did. But still patrol around town. May and Everly will need you. What good is being alpha if no one will listen?"

  Remo frowns as Everly glares at him. "Then I'll patrol."

  We head inside. I feel bad for Remo, who slumps his shoulders in submission. But the sense of connection returns between all four of us. Things are working again. And it took my near-death to bring us back together.

  But Cayden remains tense as the two of us split from the others and walk into Mrs. Connors's room.

  Matthew's not here yet, and he doesn't appear even when the warning bell rings. But Olivia's at her table next to mine, and Cayden rushes to his table the moment we step through the threshold. He still sits on the other side of the room.

  Noah sits beside me. I mutter a hello to him as Mrs. Connors sweeps into the room.

  And just as the final bell rings, Matthew ducks into the room and searches the front row for a seat, any seat. He won't dare make eye contact with me or anyone else. Olivia watches him as distaste comes over her features. Her eyes narrow and she gets out her Economics book, thumbing through it.

  Matt is having a terrible day.

  And I'm glad to see it.

  Noah pokes me. "They must have fought," he whispers, full of hope.

  "Maybe," I say with a smile.

  But Olivia still doesn't wear her silver pendant. Her "gift from Noah."

  The tension in the room stays high throughout the lesson. Mrs. Connors plays a half hour video about the stock market as Matthew hunches as low as he can, trying to hide. Being one of the biggest guys in school, the task is hard for him.

  I ball my fists over and over. Even in the semi-dark and without trying, Matthew's bringing up the reaction in me. The tug manifests inside a few times, faint but undeniable. The monster in me wants no one to mess with it. So far, it won't forgive.

  But I hold back with a deep breath each time, drawing a stare from Noah.

  The bell rings and Matthew shoots out of his chair and walks to the door, not bothering to look cool.

  "Did you see that?" one girl, Melissa, asks.

  "Maybe he needed the bathroom," Mrs. Connors says, trying to make us all understand.

  I snort.

  "What's so funny?" Noah asks.

  I wish I could tell him. "Nothing. Just imagining Matthew holding his butt on the way to the bathroom."

  "Serves him right," Noah says.

  Then Cayden shocks me by brushing past me and into the hall. "I'll see you later, Brie," he whispers. "I have to go myself."

  He smells metallic.

  Nervous.

  "Was the cafeteria food bad yesterday?" Noah asks.

  Olivia pushes past me next. She still smells of heavy makeup, maybe even more so. Her purse rams into me as she passes.

  "Olivia! Watch where you're going." I wait for the beast within to pull at me, but it stays calm. All I feel is the usual annoyance at her.

  She faces me, whirling on her cast and crutch. Eyeing Noah for a second, she turns her aggression on me. "Well, sorry."

  "Did you know Matt wet his pants yesterday?" I blurt.

  Olivia raises an eyebrow. "I heard someone threw a rock at his BMW."

  "And I heard he wet his pants and drove off," I say. "He had a friend with him at the time who saw it. You don't want to get into his car with the pee smell. Or dance with a guy who can't hold his bladder."

  "Why do you care?" Olivia asks.

  My superi
or hearing picks up a real question. Why do I, after the way she's treated me all these years, care who she goes out with?

  "Because there are plenty of guys in the school who don't wet their pants. Or want to rape girls. You're better than those shallow chicks you hang out with." I don't even feel jealous of her anymore.

  Olivia pales.

  "And," I say. "He knows you have a broken leg."

  "Matt would try to use a girl who can't run," Noah says. "You know it. We don't want you to get hurt. You used to hang out with us all the time. We creatives have to stick together."

  Olivia locks eyes with him for a few seconds.

  "And how's that bite healing?" I ask, heart racing. I won't put Noah in danger.

  Olivia makes a face for a second. "Fine," she says, staring at the lockers. "The bite marks are still there and scabbed, but my mom says the bone is coming together great. Well, she thinks. Someone lost my medical records in the hospital two weeks ago. She says I'm lucky I didn't get an infection."

  I gulp as my heart leaps into my throat.

  For the first time, Olivia's talking to me as if I'm not scum.

  And she looks at Noah as a dam crumbles in her eyes. But before he can speak, she turns away.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Developing story," Noah says as he sits at the lunch table, pulling me with him. "Olivia talked to us today, and she definitely does not want to go out with Matthew."

  "We already established the last part," I say.

  I eye the Lowe table. Cayden sits beside his siblings. I need to talk to him and tell him Olivia admitted to her injury being a bite. She confirmed the worst, and she still hasn't put on the pendant that can save her humanity.

  Olivia sits at her usual table. Tiffany and Alesha huddle with her, and today Bonnie has joined them as well. I listen to them.

  "You can't go if Matt doesn't bring the car."

  "Ditch him. Now. Sounds like someone's mad at Matt."

  "Unless you want to wave through broken glass?"

  Olivia sighs, but I don't miss the relief. "I'll tell him I'm not going out with him. I'll do it right now. But one condition. You have no say in who I choose."

  The girls go silent.